The Lone Star state's top lawyer, Attorney General Ken Paxton, has thrown a legal lasso around Google, spearheading an amicus brief against the tech titan for claimed privacy violations. The court documents, filed last week, allege that Google has been deceptively harvesting user data, lining its pockets even after users opted out of syncing their Chrome browsers. Paxton's posse includes Attorneys General from 18 other states, according to KXAN.
The Texas-led charge claims that Google broke its agreements with the consumers. Google maintained that users consented to this collection, a stance that a federal district court initially backed, choosing to side with the internet juggernaut. In the wake of this decision, Paxton is urging the Ninth Circuit to reverse it, slamming the lower court's judgment as one that favors corporate giants over the rights of individuals.
"This case represents just one front in a larger conflict in which federal and state governments, along with private plaintiffs, are fighting to rein in alleged abuses by tech giants like Google," Paxton said, as detailed in the Texas Office of the Attorney General press release.
Paxton, no stranger to taking on Google, is painting the lawsuit as another skirmish in an ongoing war to protect user privacy. Previously, he has filed several lawsuits against Google, accusing the company of various privacy infringements — including unauthorized tracking of user location and capturing biometric data without consent — always touted by Paxton as a defender of consumer rights. As per the brief, the Court’s impending decision could resonate far and wide, impacting the power dynamic between users and digital behemoths in the future.
While the multi-state brief aims to spotlight Google's alleged disregard for user preferences and privacy, the tech company has not sat quietly on the wagon. After reaching out for a statement, KXAN is knocking on the door for a response from Google and will update the story as developments roll in. Meanwhile, the Ninth Circuit’s deliberations are set to have reverberating consequences not only for this case but for privacy norms across the country.
